Railway safety device.



NQ.785,208. v PATENTEDMAR. 21, 1905.

ofosfsm.

RAILWAYJSAFETY DEVICE.

APPLIGATION FILED 00T. 31,1904.

NITED STATES Patented March 21, 1905'.

PATENT OEEICE.

RAILWAY SAFETY DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 785,208, dated March21, 1905.

Application filed October 3l, 1904. Serial No. 230,675.

To all whom, t may concern/.1

Be it known that I, FEELING O. FOSTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ohicago, in the county of Oook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Railway Safety Devices,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway safety devices, and has for its objectto provide means to be used in connection with railway-cars andlocomotives and the like for the lessening of shocks and the preventionof accidents due to collisions.

The device is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1is a side elevation of the forward end of a locomotive with my deviceapplied thereto; Fig. 2, a horizontal sectional view on line 2 2 of Fig.1, and Fig. 3 a sectional view on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in all the drawings.

My invention consists of a buffer device or a system of buffer deviceswhich are adapted to be placed on locomotives to act in connection withcomplementary devices on other trains or which may be placed on the carsof a single train, so as to act in prevention of telescoping and thelike mischances.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one form of my inventionas applied to the forward endof a locomotive; but I wish y thisparticularapplication of the device to be takenas illustrative of one ofthe uses of my invention and the particular forms and constructions hereshown to be taken as in a sense diagrammatic and as showing one of manypossible forms in which my invention might be embodied. Y

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the boiler of a locomotive;rB, alongitudinal member ofthe supporting-framework; C O, vthe wheels ofthe forward truck, (shown in dotted lines,) and D thepilot. The safetydevice here shown may consist of two members, which are adapted to coactin case of collision with two correspondingly-placed like mem bers onthe other train. One of these members consists of a cylinder E, whichmay be l, secured by the cross-piece E integral therewith to the frame Band .further held in position by a connection with some part of theengine-body, as at E2., This cylinder is provided at the forward endwith a iiaring neck E3, which I preferably make with the shoulder E4extending a trifle over the end of the cylinder E. Against this shoulderrests normally the plunger F, and within the cylinder and against theplunger F, I may place a tube G of some elastic material, such asrubber. This, however, is not absolutely essential, as the devices wouldbe capable of operation without it. and vto the tubing G throughl thepipe G', which is provided with the customary checkvalve G2, and mayalso be provided with a relief-valve G3 of any desired type. Air may beforced into the cylinder and the tube either by means of a pump or thepipe G or may be in permanent connection with the air-brake system ofthe train, or the cylinder may be otherwise supplied. The other memberof the safety device and to be used in connection with the part justdescribed consists of a ram or plunger H, which may be secured to.

the framework B on the other side of the engine in any desired manner,and I have here represented the cross-pieces E E2 as being integral alsowith the plunger H and extending from one side to the other of theengineframework. I may also provide the forward end of the ram H with acushioning device H, consisting of a series of leather washers or thelike.

In connection with the above described safety or buffer devices or to beused independently I provide another form of buffer device, which ishere shown'as applied to the pilot of the engine. The piloti) maybeprovided with a flattened end D' and supported Von the framework oftheengine by two or more slidingbars J J, attached thereto at J Air isadmitted to the cylinder J', and which may have bearings upon the llbrackets J2 and J3, which are secured to and extend downwardly from thelongitudinal frame B. These brackets serve also to support theair-cylinders used to cushion the pilot. There may be any number ofthese'air-cylinders, and I have here shown them as three in number, twolower ones being designated K K and an upper one L. These air-cylindersare provided each with a plunger, such as L', and may have the innerelastic tube L2, as is shown in the section of the upper cylinder 'mFig. 3. These cylinders are provided with the inletpipes, as shown atL3, having check-valves and relief-valves, as is the case with thecylinder E. Extending backward from the pilot and secured thereto arethree rams or plunger-rods M M, which extend one into each of thecylinders K, K, and L and normally rest against the plunger-s therein.

In the above I have described two forms of my invention adapted to beused in connection with each other or separately; but it will be veryclear that the above-described devices might be very greatly varied inconstruction and arrangement without departing from the broad spirit ofmy invention. and therefore I do not limit myself to the specicarrangements shown nor the precise forms and constructions set forth,but, on the contrary, wish that these specific constructions be taken asin a sense illustrative of the general nature of my invention.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows: The buffer devicesherein shown may be applied, as is here illustrated, to the forward endsof locomotives, or they may be attached to the separate cars of a trainof cars, so that when the train is made up each car will be elasticallyconnected with the next ad joining and the train provided at both endswith safety devices. These devices, if adopted in whole or in part, tendvery largely to prevent or mitigate accidents.

In the use of the devices Gr and H these two members must of course bearranged invariably on certain sides of the car or locomotive-- as, forexample, the cylinder on the right side and the ram on the left side.If, then, two engines come together head on, the ram H on each enginewill extend into the flaring end of the cylinder G on the other engineand by the action of the air-cushion, from Which the air may be allowedto gradually escape through the relief-valve, if such valve is used, theimpact of the two engines one upon the other will be materiallylessened. The rains M, attached to the pilot, operate in the same mannerwithin their cylinders K, K, and L, which in this form of invention arearranged on the same vehicle and in like manner reduce the shock ofcollision.

In its use between two cars of a train it is clear that either form ofdevice might be utilized, according to the particular exigencies ofconstruction and the like.

I claim- 1. A safety device for railway-vehicles comprising a ram on oneof such vehicles, a cylinder on the other vehicle, a flexibleair-cushion in the cylinder with the end of which the ram comes incontact, such devices adapted to be brought into operation one with theother to lessen the shock-to suoli vehicles in the case of collision.

2. A safetydevice for railway-vehicles comprising a ram on one of suchvehicles, a cylinder on the other vehicle, such cylinder having aiiaring end, a flexible air-cushion in such cylinder'with the end ofwhich the ram comes in contact, such devices being adapted to be broughtinto operation one with the other to lessen the shock to such vehiclesin the case of collision.

3. A safety device for railway-vehicles comprising a ram on one of suchvehicles, a cylinder on the other vehicle, an air-cushion of elasticmaterial in the cylinder, and a plunger adapted to act against theair-cushion, such devices adapted to be brought into operation one withthe other to lessen the shock to such vehicles in the case of collision.

4. A safetydevice for railway-vehicles comprising a ram and anair-cushioning device arranged one on each vehicle and adapted to coactwith the corresponding devices on other vehicles so as to lessen shockto such vehicles in case of collision.

5. A safety device for railway-vehicles comprising a ram and anair-cushioning device arranged on each vehicle and adapted to coact eachwith the corresponding device on other vehicles, a sliding device at theend of such vehicle, and an air-cushioning device interposed betweensuch sliding device and the body of the vehicle. Y

6. A safety device for railway-engines and the like, comprising a ramdevice and an aircushioning device arranged on each engine so as tocoact with similar correspondingly-arranged devices on other vehicles incombination with a sliding pilot and an air-cushioning device interposedbetween such pilot and the framework on its engine.

7. A safety device for railway-engines and the like, comprising a ramand an air-cushion adapted to coact with corresponding devices on othervehicles in combination with a sliding pilot, a ram device on suchpilot, and an air-cushioning device on the main body of the engine withwhich the ram device is adapted to coact in case of collision.

FEELING C. FOSTER.`

TOO

